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International Space Station

152 'International Space Station' stories February 2020 - June 2020
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International Space Station

The International Space Station is a collaborative project between five space agencies: NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, and CSA; and 16 nations. The Space Station serves as a floating laboratory in Low-Earth orbit. First launched in 1998, the station has been continually occupied by humans since 2000 and sees continual updates.

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Partner Nations and Space Agencies

The International Space Station, in its name, is an international cooperation between both space agencies and nations. All these nations support funding for maintaining and providing experiments and crew for the station.

List of member agencies

  • NASA
  • Roscosmos
  • ESA
  • JAXA
  • CSA

List of partner nations

  • Belgium
  • Denmark
  • France
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • United Kingdom
  • United States of America

Spacecraft that support space station operations

Crew Spacecraft

SpacecraftCountryCrew CapacityRocketStatus
CST-100 StarlinerUS (Boeing)4 crew membersAtlas VIn Development
Crew DragonUS (SpaceX)4 crew membersFalcon 9Operational
SoyuzRussia3 crew membersSoyuzOperational
Space ShuttleUS8 crew membersSpace ShuttleRetired

Cargo Spacecraft

SpacecraftCountryCargo CapacityRocketStatus
Dream ChaserUS (Sierra Space)5,500 kg to ISS; 1,750 kg returnedVulcanIn Development
HTV-XJapan7,200 kg to ISSH3In Development
ProgressRussia2,400 kg to ISS;SoyuzOperational
CygnusUS (Northrop Grumman)2,000 kg to ISS;Antares / Atlas VOperational
Dragon 2US (SpaceX)6,000 kg to ISS; 3,000 kg returnedFalcon 9Operational
H-II Transfer VehicleJapan6,000 kg to ISS;H-IIBRetired
DragonUS (SpaceX)6,000 kg to ISS; 3,000 kg returnedFalcon 9Retired

Rockets which launch Space Station modules

RocketVehicle CountrySegments LaunchedVehicle Status
ProtonRussiaZarya, Zvezda, NaukaOperational
SoyuzRussiaPirs, PoiskOperational
Space ShuttleUnited StatesUnity, Destiny, Harmony, Columbus, Rassvet, Leonardo, Quest, Tranquility, Cupola, JEM-ELM-PS, JEM-PMRetired
Falcon 9United StatesBEAM Operational
Rockets that have launched Space Station modules

NASA selects astronaut Kate Rubins for final paid Soyuz seat to ISS

Avatar for Zac Hall Jun 3 2020 - 9:52 am PT
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NASA astronaut Kate Rubins will fly to the International Space Station in October for a six-month mission as part of Expedition 63 and Expedition 64. Astronaut Rubins will serve as a flight engineer and space station crew member.

The flight will be recorded in history for the last Soyuz seat purchased by NASA from Russia’s space agency Roscosmos.

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NASA extends ISS stay for astronauts aboard historic SpaceX spaceflight test mission

Avatar for Zac Hall May 1 2020 - 9:48 am PT
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The crew of the upcoming NASA and SpaceX Demo-2 mission will have work awaiting them when they arrive at the International Space Station later this month. NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will join Expedition 63 Commander Chris Cassidy for an extended stay on ISS as part of the final flight test for SpaceX and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

The launch on May 27 will be historic for several reasons. For NASA and the nation, the launch will mark the first time U.S. astronauts have launched from American soil on an American rocket since the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011. For SpaceX, Demo-2 will be the first time the commercial space company has launched humans to space ever.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine made the case for the crew of Demo-2’s extended stay on ISS in a blog post today:

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NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy launches to ISS as Expedition 63 Commander

Avatar for Zac Hall Apr 8 2020 - 10:49 pm PT
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NASA astronaut Christopher Cassidy will make the journey from Earth to the International Space Station on Thursday, April 9. Astronaut Cassidy, who is also a U.S. Navy SEAL, will fly with Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner.

The crew will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan using a Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft, joining NASA flight engineers Andrew Morgan and Jessica Meir and Roscosmos Expedition 62 Commander Oleg Skripochka.

Astronaut Cassidy, who is returning to space for his third spaceflight, will take on the role of Expedition 63 Commander once the crew of Expedition 62 leaves the ISS on Friday, April 17.

Astronaut Jessica Meir made history during her time on the ISS by completing the first all-female space walk with Astronaut Christina Koch.

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Adidas is preparing to launch running shoe science into space

Avatar for Zac Hall Feb 20 2020 - 2:15 pm PT
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Could manufacturing products in microgravity environments prove to be a competitive advantage? That’s the question Adidas wants to answer with its BOOST Orbital Operations on Spheroid Tesellation investigation.

The running shoe company is sending its experiment to the International Space Station in March as part of SpaceX’s CRS-20 mission, the 20th commercial resupply service mission, for NASA.

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